Have your lips been feeling a little rough, dry or flaky?

This is more common than you would think, and there’s a simple reason behind it…

While the skin on your face can have up to 16 different layers of skin, there are only four or five layers on your lips, making this area extremely vulnerable to damage. Many don’t realize just how fragile the skin on and around the lips is, but this is exactly why lip lines are often one of the first wrinkle types to show up on a person’s face.

Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. Although delicate, it doesn’t take much to transform the skin on the lips, giving it the softness, smoothness and bounce that it used to have.

Regularly Exfoliate

Lip exfoliation is often sidelined – although the need to exfoliate the face is widely understood, the lips tend to be neglected. Yes, the skin here is thinner and more vulnerable to damage, but exfoliation is key to stimulating the production of new skin cells, which is what your lips need to take on a smoother, fuller and plumper appearance.

Regular exfoliation is a must – doing this sporadically may help in the short term, but if you want to really bring about a significant change, you will need to add lip exfoliation into your daily skin care routine.

How to Exfoliate the Lips

Lip exfoliation doesn’t need to be complicated. There are special products available for this, such as lip scrubs, but all you really need is a washcloth or a clean toothbrush.

Then, gently rub your lips to remove any dry or dead skin. The light massaging action will also help to stimulate circulation in your lips, making them immediately look fuller.

Want to keep that plumper and fuller appearance throughout the day?

Try exfoliating your lips when you are doing your makeup in the morning. Once exfoliated, outline their new shape with a nude lip liner. This will then give the impression of fuller lips, even once the effects of the exfoliation have gone down.

Keep Them Moist

The lips having fewer layers of skin than the rest of the face not only makes this area more susceptible to aging and damage, but it also means that the lips are more prone to dryness.

Why?

Because those outer layers of skin help to trap moisture down below by preventing it from evaporating. The thinner those layers, the more moisture will evaporate, leaving the skin on the lips feeling parched and looking flaky.

How to Keep Lips Moist

You probably already use a moisturizer for your face. Well, your lips need something too! An antioxidant-rich, hydrating lip balm containing plenty of plant butters and oils to really lock that moisture in is what you need to be looking for.

The impressive ingredient list for the 24K Renewal Lip Balm definitely makes this one worth trying:

• Avocado oil
• Shea butter
• Beeswax
• Mimosa flower wax
• Sunflower seed wax
• Mango butter
• Baobab seed oil
• Cupuacu butter

Another key ingredient to look for in a lip balm, which you will also find in the 24K Renewal Lip Balm, is vitamin E…

Why is Vitamin E So Important?

Well, to begin with, it is a highly potent antioxidant, which is why you will find it formulated into a wide range of different skin care products. It is also a key player when it comes to protection and repair, especially with damage caused by the sun, which is something that the lips often experience.

Choose Lip Products Carefully

Do you regularly wear makeup products on your lips?

Whether a lipstick, lip liner, lip gloss, or anything else, many lip products can be surprisingly damaging, in more than one way.

Go for Hydrating Products

To begin with, some lip products can be extremely drying. Try to only use those that have hydrating and moisturizing ingredients in their formulas. However, if you cannot bear to go without your favorite lipstick, applying a layer of lip balm underneath will help somewhat in counteracting its drying effect.

Be Aware of Harmful Ingredients

There are some ingredients out there that everyone should stay away from, not only when it comes to the skin on the face, but also the lips.

One example would be parabens. This group of preservatives used to be formulated into the majority of cosmetic products, until a link was found between these ingredients and cancer rates. Many lip makeup products are now paraben-free, and this is something that they will usually proudly state on packaging or websites.

Fragrances and flavors are other ingredients best avoided. Yes, they may make your lip products smell incredible, but both are usually made from a mix of different chemicals. Not only do you have no idea of the chemical makeup of those fragrances and flavors, but they are also known to have a drying and irritating effect, especially on delicate areas such as the lips.

Always Use a Primer

Even if you have found a lipstick formula that’s ultra-moisturizing and doesn’t leave your lips feeling dry, you should still be using a primer each time you apply that lipstick.

Why?

Because this gives your lips an extra dose of hydration, with all of that moisture being locked into place by the lipstick you apply over the top.

Plus, a primer will make your lip color so much more vibrant, and not to mention longer-lasting – what’s not to love?

Don’t Forget to Remove Your Makeup

You probably already know that sleeping with your makeup on can lead to blemishes, but this is usually in relation to face makeup, with many paying little attention to lipstick. After all, won’t this just fade on its own?

The boldness of your lip color may not seem so striking at the end of the day, but pigment remnants will still be around, making it important to give your lips a clean with a makeup remover.

Treat Them Gently

In addition to ensuring that you aren’t damaging your lips with the lip makeup products you’re using, you should also try to treat your lips as gently as possible. Be kind to them, protecting them from the toxins and harsh conditions all around.

Need specifics?

Take smoking, for example. Not only does the act of pursing up the lips lead to wrinkles and dryness, but the smoke itself ages the skin. With the skin on the lips being thinner, effects are noticed much faster in this area.

Polluted air can take its toll too. This can be countered by covering your mouth with a scarf when in highly-polluted areas.

One other thing to pay attention to is the facial expressions that you make. Try to keep your lip muscles, as well as your mouth, relaxed whenever possible.

Why?

Because each time you contract those muscles to make a facial expression, lines appear. These may bounce back into place in your youth, but will end up sticking around as you age.

Get Your Beauty Sleep

You’re probably wondering how your sleeping routine affects your lips, but it does so in a surprising way.

Do you ever sleep on your side, or even on your front?

If so, chances are that your lips are rubbing against your pillow while you sleep at night. All of this extra friction will only cause damage to the fragile skin here, making you more prone to dryness and roughness.

Try sleeping on your back, which is also much better for the skin on your face, neck, and chest, helping to prevent fine lines and wrinkles.

Sleeping in a dry environment can take its toll over time too…

If the air around you contains less moisture than the skin in your lips, it will slowly draw those moisture molecules away from your skin, leaving your lips dry.

A humidifier can work wonders – it will add moisture back into the air, and therefore your skin, ensuring that your lips stay hydrated and soft.

Stop That Licking

Do you often find yourself licking your lips, especially when they feel dry?

You may think that this adds moisture to your skin, but it actually does the exact opposite…

Lip Licking Exacerbates Dryness

Your saliva contains powerful digestive enzymes, and these can easily wear down the delicate skin on the lips. When this continues to happen over an extended period of time, the skin on the lips will likely start to crack open and bleed.

Yes, saliva contains moisture too, but that moisture evaporates in just a few seconds, leaving the skin on the lips even drier than it was before.

How to Stop Licking Your Lips

For many, not licking their lips is easier said than done. This could sometimes be a nervous habit, in which case stress triggers need to be identified, and other coping mechanisms should replace the lip licking.

Certain medical conditions and medications can also lead to drier-than-usual lips, so try to keep your lips constantly moisturized with a lip balm to prevent you from overcompensating with your tongue.

One thing to remember…

Stay away from flavored lip balms! Yes, they may taste nice, but that’s only going to encourage you to lick your lips more, which you need to try to avoid.

Making sure that you stay hydrated from within can also help to stop that lip-licking habit. When your body is lacking moisture, your mouth produces less saliva. This, in turn, makes your lips feel drier, causing you to lick them.

Instead, try upping your daily water intake. Tea works well too, so long as it doesn’t contain caffeine – this will only dehydrate your lips even further.

Pay Attention to the Skin Around Your Lips

If the skin around your lips is smooth, firm, and wrinkle-free, then this will often have a positive impact on the lips themselves.

Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the skin in this area is extremely thin, making it prone to premature aging. This area contains fewer oil glands than other parts of the face too, meaning that any lines that do start to develop here will be very noticeable.

While the same moisturizer that you use on the rest of your face will benefit the area around your mouth, try also adding a hydrating, collagen-restoring serum into your skin care routine.

The Importance of Collagen

Collagen is one of the key proteins in your skin. It acts like a scaffolding beneath the surface, giving your skin the structure over which is stretches. Without collagen, the skin sags and wrinkles, taking on an aged appearance.

While your skin produces plenty of collagen in its early years, production rates decline with age. Due to the skin around the mouth being thin, collagen loss is often prematurely experienced in this area, making it important to counter this with ingredients that boost collagen production.

Which ingredients should you be looking out for?

Some of the best collagen-building ingredients are:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Antioxidant-rich plant oils, such as hemp seed oil

One product that offers this potent mix, including two different forms of vitamin C for a double dose of its benefits, is the 24K Rejuvenating Skin Serum. This lightweight serum can be applied daily, with the skin looking noticeably smoother and tighter after every use.

If you have been struggling to achieve the perfect pout, these steps will help you to do exactly that. From understanding how different ingredients can impact the delicate skin on your lips, to knowing how certain lifestyle choices can cause serious damage, a little bit of attention to this area will soon reward you with lips that are softer, smoother and fuller than ever.